Today we have around us a variety of pollutants, the concentration levels of which are regularly rising in different components of the environment.
The food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe may contain traces of these harmful materials which, if not immediately, could cause adverse health effects in the long run. Science and technology introduces almost daily new chemicals which may be harmful to living beings and potentially detrimental to the environment.
Pollution of atmosphere threatens the mankind with global warming and stratospheric ozone depletion. Therefore, a close surveillance over the quality of the environment we live in has become essential today. The process of systematic sampling, analyses, observation and evaluation of pollution levels in air, water, soil, food and within living organisms at a given locality is referred to as Environmental Monitoring.
Environmental monitoring provides information about the quality of environment around us, the changes in the levels of various pollutants, their source or origin and serves as a warning system so that remedial measures could be under-taken. It is especially useful in occupational settings, such as industries, working places, mines etc., where people are involved in manufacture and use of hazardous materials and where early detection of exposures exceeding threshold levels is desired so that immediate preventive action may be taken. Environmental monitoring usually involves collection of information about:
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1. Emission or discharge levels of pollutants from the source of entry in the environment. It is referred to as Source Monitoring.
2. The concentration of pollutants in air, water, soil, sediments and within living organisms. It is knows as Ambient Monitoring.
3. The condition of targets affected by the pollutant, such as discolouration, structural damages, changes in growth patterns, population densities, diseases and physiological disorders in living organisms exposed to the pollutant. Such monitoring is referred, to as Target Monitoring.
Physico-Chemical and Biological Characteristics of Environmental Quality:
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A number of physico-chemical and biological characteristics or parameters are used to characterise the environmental quality. These parameters differ widely depending upon the nature of the component of environment involved, the locality being examined and the purpose of examination. The components of the environment usually examined are: air, water, soil; food and living organisms. The examination of air water and soil quality yields the picture of the state of local environment whereas observations on living organisms and biological materials (such as blood, urine, sputum samples) yields valuable information on the impact of the environmental quality on living beings.